The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away

By Author / Illustrator

Sophie Anderson

Genre

Fairy Tales & Folk Tales

Age range(s)

Publisher

Usborne

ISBN

9781803704364

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

09-04-2026

Synopsis

Brimming with fairy-tale magic, friendship and extraordinary adventure, The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away is an epic, spellbinding tale set in to the bestselling, award-winning world of The House with Chicken Legs.

All Marinka's life, she has lived in her house with chicken legs. Running across the world on magical adventures, Marinka knows how her house is feeling, and it listens to her, too. But something is wrong. And before anyone can stop it, the house has pulled itself apart and run away.

With her friend Benjamin and jackdaw Jack, Marinka races after the house to find answers. Travelling across far-distant lands, through new realms and magical places, Marinka must face up to her fears to save her friends. But her house might not want to stop running...

Find out more in ReadingZone's special Q&A with author Sophie Anderson

Praise for Sophie Anderson: "One of my all-time favourite storytellers." Kiran Millwood Hargrave; "Vividly imagined." The Sunday Times; "Sublime storytelling." Hilary McKay; "Anderson's talent as a weaver of magic and creator of evocative landscape is growing with every book." The Daily Mail.

Download Extract

Reviews

Sue

Marinka has a deep bond with the house with chicken legs which has been her home all her life. Recently, however, the house has started to act strangely so in an attempt to heal it, she plans a feast for a 'guiding', a party to celebrate the lives of the dead before they pass through the Gate to the Stars. But something goes terribly wrong and the house runs away. Determined to help her friend, Marinka, with her best friend, Benjamin, and her jackdaw, Jack, chase after her home on an epic journey in an attempt to save it.

A great lover of folklore and traditional tales, I was delighted by The House with Chicken Legs when it first came out as the stories of Baba Yaga have always been amongst my favourites. In The House with Chicken Legs Runs Away, readers are transported back to Marinka's world for another beautifully crafted adventure.

Marinka is carrying a huge weight of guilt following the loss of her Baba, the Yaga who adopted her as a baby. Her feelings are skilfully described, encouraging empathy and understanding, and her development through the course of the story is really heart-warming. Loyal and loving, she is able to come to terms with her losses and find peace for her future, treasuring her memories and the importance of stories and realising these keep those we have lost close and alive to us. I have to confess a few tissues were needed in places!

Friendship and love are at the heart of the story. Benjamin offers the support and encouragement which Marinka needs, even when worried or scared himself. Together, they make quite the team, yet are able to give each other freedom to follow their own paths.

The book is so richly written, full of imagery, it is an absolute joy to read. Tense adventure carries the reader through beautifully described landscapes as Marinka seeks to save her beloved house and the illustrations add much to the atmosphere.

It is not necessary to have read The House with Chicken Legs to thoroughly enjoy this story and be swept away in its magic, but I am sure that anyone who reads this will wish to do so if they haven't already - and be inspired to explore the vibrant tales of Slavic folklore and tradition. Essential reading!

320 pages / Reviewed by Sue Wilsher, teacher